Serial: Security mistakes which will cost your company a lot, part III

We are introducing the third chapter of a serial about mistakes which can deprive you of confidential data and cause you a financial loss, no matter if you are a sole trader, small company or a large corporation.

4.  We use an antivirus program and firewall – we are safe

Many companies think that a “threat for your data” is represented by a for-eyed IT specialist who can hack any computer on the other side of the planet with a few commands. Firewall and antivirus programs can protect you against these.

However, your data can also be threatened by your employee or a hired cleaning lady. They do not have to get across the security of your servers or guess your passwords. You yourselves are offering them access to your office and data. According to the Ponemon Institute research, internal threats – people inside the company – cause over 80% of all incidents, in which the company loses confidential data.

Your own employees and people inside the company threaten you either deliberately or by losing an unsecured corporate laptop. Neither antivirus programs nor firewalls can protect you against these.

5. I am the only one who can read my e-mails

The entire corporate network is secured and protected. However, your e-mails also move through the Internet where you cannot control who can capture and read your e-mail. E-mails have been in existence for several decades and was established in times when it was supposed that all Internet users are honest and decent. Nevertheless, this is not true nowadays and it is up to you to protect files you hand over to your co-workers and business partners through e-mails.

You can protect the attachments against capturing by encryption. This way those who get access to your e-mail box will not be able to read them.